Brazilian low-income housing builder is EY World Entrepreneur of 2018

KUALA LUMPUR (June 18): Rubens Menin, Brazil’s leading low-income housing builder, has been named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) 2018 at an awards ceremony held in Monaco’s Salle des Etoiles on Saturday night.

Picked from among 761 programme participants, including 56 country winners from 46 countries and regions vying for the title, the 62-year-old Menin is the first-ever EY WEOY winner from South America, read a statement from EY.

“Throughout my life, I have pursued the purpose of bringing the dignity of homeownership to people for whom this is an unobtainable dream. I am very proud to be recognised in this way but the work does not stop here.

“The construction industry is well positioned to further enact positive civil impact. I believe economic empowerment is not just about wealth generation but also social development and MRV’s legacy will continue for generations to come,” Menin said.

Menin founded MRV Engenharia e Participações SA, a homebuilder and real estate company, in 1979, which he then grew into Latin America’s largest real estate developer by units sold. Menin is the chairman of the company now.

MRV employs more than 24,000 people, operates in 150 cities and has built some 300,000 properties. In these cities, one in 200 people lives in a property built by MRV, said EY.

EY global chairman and chief executive officer Mark Weinberger said that Menin’s leadership is exemplified by his persistence to succeed against a backdrop of national economic challenges and turbulent years to create Brazil’s largest public housing provider and become Latin America’s largest real estate developer.

“Rubens is a truly inspiring World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner,” he added.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on June 18, 2018.

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